The QB/Head Coach Liason

As the nation watched the Super Bowl championship against the Eagles this past Sunday, (2/4/18) quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots were unable to fill their roles as the figurehead duo for the perfectly functioning QB/HC combo.

The destinies of a head coach and his quarterback are often intertwined, as a bad coach can mess up a good quarterback and a bad quarterback can easily get a good coach fired. Because of this , it is imperative that a head coach and his quarterback can communicate without fault; miscommunication with one another can sow the seeds of destruction. With the pressure of a nation riding on the fate of the game, any lack in communication can have huge repercussions.

The QB is the extension of the head coach out on the field—both in terms of execution and emotion. Ask most head coaches and I'm sure they'd tell you that they would love to be out on the field, leading their team. When communicating well with their quarterback, in many ways they are.

The relationship between a QB and head coach is unique to the NFL, as longtime NFL quarterback Sage Rosenfels told Bleacher Report:

"In healthy relationships between a quarterback and a head coach, there’s an understanding of what the group is trying to accomplish...how we talk about the team, how we talk to the media, etc...I think a lot of quarterbacks meet regularly with the head coach, and other positions don't have that."

John Branch, writing at the time for the New York Times, helped to furthermore quantify the significance of these relationships: “Unofficially, coaches and quarterbacks are often inducted as pairs. It is rare to have a Hall of Fame coach without a Hall of Fame quarterback”

This statement seems to stand true when 13 out of the last 15 head coaches to be inducted to the hall of fame within the last 50 years also had a star partner quarterback; it seems that one’s success is not complete without the others.

The above is to be noted for all coaches; when you see some talent that you get along with, it might be worth it to take them under your wing! Who knows where the two of you’ll be 5 years down the line. Brady and Belicheck were unable to make it happen this year, but no one knows for sure what will happen in the future.